Pure Imagination
by Your Fellow Conspirator
Summary: AU. What Maleficent arrives on Aurora's sixteenth birthday instead and whisks her off to live with her for 7 days with disastrous consequences. Maleficent's magic backfires and sends them both spinning into multiple alternate Disney stories were they are forced to understand the meaning of true love. Please read and review!
1. Prologue: Day 0

**DISCLAIMER****: Don't own anything except the story! Watched Maleficent and loved the movie, so decided to write a fanfic. Really grateful if you read this. ;) Please read and review!- Your Fellow Conspirator**

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><p>If you want to view paradise<br>Simply look around and view it  
>Anything you want to, do it<br>Want to change the world?  
>There's nothing to it<p>

There is no life I know  
>To compare with Pure Imagination<br>Living there  
>You'll be free<br>If you truly wish to be

- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

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><p>Princess Aurora had never fallen in love before. She never felt jealous when she heard all the maids gossiping in the kitchen about how it felt as though 'their hearts were flaming in gasoline' whenever they saw their beloved. She thought males were perhaps a tad rough, the only representative of their gender she had ever seen with the royal guards who mocked each other about one another's privates. The princess screwed her nose in their direction, men were indifferent.<p>

Her sixteenth birthday was drawing closer by the coming day and she yearned for freedom outside these castle walls every minute she dared. Her birthday meant a feast, a ball, a proposal and then a marriage. Aurora wasn't dumb; she knew this was the only path princesses were allowed to tread. But she had made a wish when she was young to break free of her bonds, her responsibilities and reclaim the freedom she was never given. Strangely enough, somewhere far beyond her royal bedroom, her wish was to be granted by the least likely of accomplices.

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><p>Aurora stood at the top of the lavish castle balcony, fiddling with her dress. She had been told to wait there and to proceed down the moment the trumpet blew. No doubt that would make quite an entrance on the party-goers. Aurora had snuck down a book between the folds of her ball gown to kill time while she waited.<p>

Sure enough the moment the crowd caught sight of the princess, they stood in silent amazement of the unworldly beauty heading their way. She came as elegantly down as she could, the book bumped painfully against her thigh with every step she took.

The celebrations went as according to plan, Aurora greeting guests wearing a fake smile every time they complemented her on her looks while trying to shake off the gathering crowd of princes who had taken a hobby to courting her almost immediately. The king and queen looked on with wide smiles upon their faces; King Stephen's hands shook slightly behind his back.

Then suddenly the lights blew out, the whole room was thrown into a pitch dark nature and the mighty wooden casted doors to the castle were pitched open. Aurora wavered with unconcealed excitement. A slender figure stood silhouetted in the frame of the doorway by the light of the full moon outside. Aurora could dimly make out two gleaming horns and a staff glowing with an eerily green light that casted no shadow on the polished floor.

'Why, what a coincidence that I should meet you all here. Is this a party I see?' the voice murmured softly, 'Such a pity I was not invited, who is the lucky girl?'

Before anyone could do a thing, Aurora stepped forward into the light, no, not out of foolishness, but somehow she knew this was the miracle she had been waiting for, 'This is a celebration for which I am to turn sixteen tomorrow,' she looked closely at the figure's face and was astounded by what she saw.

Beautiful sharp cheekbones adorned the misty pale complexion of fine china, two flickering embers of churning colours and blood red lips curled upwards in satisfaction, the picture of terrifying perfection, 'Oh I see, and what gifts has the guest of honour received?' she questioned, studying Aurora quietly.

'You have no right to come here, you…you incarnation of evil!' spat Stephen, very much out of character, Queen Leila put a comforting hand on his shoulder to be shoved away in the darkness.

The mysterious apparition started muttering, then the words turned in chanting, some sort of rhythm repeated over and over in Aurora's ears, making the hairs on her forehead stand in attention, a globe of light formed in wispy green strands in the creature's hands, finally forming into an orb shaped light spinning wickedly fast in mid-air.

'Princess Aurora shall stay one week in my company, starting tonight, and by the end of those seven days, she shall have a choice to wed to me, if she refuses the whole kingdom shall suffer!' Then Aurora and the spell- caster disappeared in a strong flash of light.

Aurora hugged herself as she disappeared, for this was only just the start of what was to come. Frightened? Of course. Excited? No doubt, she knew it.


	2. Day 1: The Moonstone Necklace

**Sorry guys, I was late updating. I changed the plot abit so hope you don't mind. For the first day, Maleficent takes Aurora to the Cinderella universe. ;) I love everyone of you that read this or just came here for the blurb. Please read and review, they are the fruit of the gods!**

**XXXXXxxxxx-YFC**

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><p>The First Day: The Moonstone Necklace<p>

Aurora woke up to the sound of peaceful shouting. She got up and blinked. She felt like jumping for joy, for the first time in her whole entire (slightly boring) life she was free, on her own to do what she wanted…then she remembered the apparition. The former princess clutched her dress, now but a worn rag, but she could do a thing the little attic door opened and the face of Aunt Knotgrass peered in.

'Cinderella you insolent child, it's time to you came down and did something for your poor step-mother!' she said indignantly, waving her silken red handkerchief madly.

'But…' before she could protest, Aurora was dragged down the stairs while her aunt went on and on about some royal ball that was happening that night. Royal ball? Aurora smiled ever so slightly, she had read about something of this sort in the Fairy Tale Book she carried around with her. Then she sighed remembering the storyline, an obedient slave-like girl finding love at first sight, impossible.

If she was going to get something done, she would have to do it herself and not depend on any fairy godmothers, besides she had already had her full share of them, three in fact. Aurora found herself standing in front of a near- toppling pile of laundry while her ex-aunts went on getting ready for the day.

Aunt Thistlewit and Flittle had been transformed into Aunt Knotgrass's bossy daughters wearing big loud, flamboyant floaty dresses while dabbing large slabs of make-up on each other's faces. Aurora smiled at this, for some reason she was happy. This was the first time she had been allowed to do something for herself by herself and with that happy thought, she went on through the day trying to sing and hum like the princess in the book.

Aurora looked out the barn window and saw the pigs rolling in the mud. The clothes would just have to wash themselves out there. Well wasn't this the life: no princes, no living in fear of curses, no pretending to be happy or trying to be someone else she wasn't…here maybe she had finally found her home, permanently.

Sighing contently to herself, the former princess had no idea she was being watched carefully over by a sleek feathered crow with sparkling rhinestone eyes. Diaval shook his head silently and did his best impression of a smile, Maleficent really had her hands full this time.

Night came, Aurora dreaded the moment, the day had nearly ended but she could have ever been happier in her life. She hardly complained and merely shrugged her delicate shoulders when her step-mother and sisters announced that they were leaving for the ball. Grinning aloofly, she shut the doors behind them. Aurora had something to do.

She raced out the back of the house and into the courtyard. Evening was coming and the sun dipped further down behind the hill as Aurora launched herself amidst the mud. The beautiful image of a princess was ruined and shattered almost immediately but Aurora could not have been happier, she rolled carelessly in the mud her head slick with mud and her skirt dyed brown. But through the thick blotches of mud on her face, you could clearly see she was smiling.

Just when Aurora was having the time of her life, someone coughed behind her, 'Hmmmm…'

The girl turned around…the apparition had melted from thin air, Aurora's skin beneath the much glowed bright pink. Someone so utterly irresistible seeing her from this perspective was embarrassing beyond measure, 'I, uh…I was making the most of this day.'

'Well it's time we introduced our selves if we are to be wed, tonight we shall go to the ball for our first evening together,' she was smirking again, her cheekbones glowing fainting in the moonlight ,'I am….Maleficent.'

Aurora sat in silence, turning the name over and over in her mind, unconsciously sounding out the syllables of that lovely name, 'Ma-le-fi-cent,' she murmured softly to nobody in particular.

'Yes,' smiled Maleficent, 'But you can't go to the ball with me looking like that…' she lifted her slender fingers and twirled them elegantly at Aurora, this time there shone no eerie green glow but a tendril of spiralling golden light enveloped Aurora.

When her eyes were open again she was wearing a beautiful silk dress adorned with sleek raven feathers that shone shades of navy, back, blue in the evening night. The dress cut back at her shoulders, allowing her pale shoulders to glow with the same intensity and smoothness of the moon. The princess's eyes filled with tears of joy, gratitude at such a gift, never had she been allowed to wear anything like this. Looking into her reflection in the mud puddle, she seemed so other-worldly and ethereal, like some angel from another time and space.

Turning around she caught sight of Maleficent studying her, the older woman's face filled with a sort of curiosity and wonder that flickered and almost nearly went out when she finally realised Aurora studying her in very much the same way. There was an uncomfortable silence that lasted seemed to last for eternity in which both of them seemed to want to say something before the moment ended. Then the raven perched on the gate started crowing loudly.

'Into a man,' muttered Maleficent under her breath, then the crow on the fence grew into a man, then the man fell back the fence with a thump. Aurora ran to help him, finding herself face to face with a handsome stranger with beady back eyes complaining loudly about his mistress.

However when he saw her, he went to one knee and bowed, 'Is that what you humans do? I am Diaval.' he whispered, 'By the way, you should know I was the one that gave up most of my feathers for that dress…' he stopped mid-sentence at the look his mistress was giving him behind his back.

Before Aurora could reply, there came the unmistakable voice of: 'In a bird!'

Maleficent blinking momentarily before resuming talking, her face now once more composed and unreadable, seemed to want to say something like 'do you like it?', but then she went with something else entirely different, 'Here,' she bought out something from the depths of her cloak, something that glittered as though spun of light.

'It is made of a special gem that can only be found in my kingdom: The Moors, it is called a 'moonstone' because it only comes from the bottom of a pond or creek after it has been touched by the rays of the moon for a hundred years, it was stringed and bead by an old friend of mine,' she held out a necklace laced with sparkling round gems.

'Oh thankyou Maleficent!' Aurora threw her arms around her horned companion, then they disappeared off to the party with Diaval squawking uncomfortably between their embrace.


End file.
